The illumira Media Player tool available on a course page enables users to upload new media or add an available illumira media resource which can then be accessed by students visiting the page. The media is available within the interface and users do not need to separately log in to view the content.

To access the tool within the course, click on the 'Content' option.

The displayed Media Player tool allows users to upload content within Blackboard.

To begin uploading new media content, select the upload option from the interface.

A brief description of the options available is provided below:

Source :The source tab allows the user to specify where the system should pick up the media file from and optionally set the media encoding parameters. To view a complete list of allowed file types please view this support article here

Upload from device:Users can upload a video or an audio file of up to 5 GB* from their computers, tablets and phones using this option. To begin uploading a file, click on the 'Select a file' option. Additionally if the device browser supports HTML5, users can also drag and drop a file into the highlighted area to initiate the upload. Please do not close the browser tab till the upload process is completed. The user can however provide descriptive metadata information as well as share and listing permissions while the upload process is in progress.

*Only when the device browser supports HTML 5. Not valid for Internet Explorer version 9

HTTP/FTP: Users can also upload a file using HTTP/FTP links additionally all files greater than 2 GB in size require to be uploaded via this option. To upload a file from a FTP/HTTP server click on 'HTTP/FTP' tab. Enter the HTTP or the FTP URL of the media resource. Users also have the option of using the built in FTP Browser to pick and choose the media file from their FTP locations.

Using the FTP Browser:Click on 'HTTP/FTP' tab. Click on the 'FTP Browser' button. A dialog box will open where you can specify the host and other information of the FTP server. Click on 'Connect' to connect to the FTP server. A list of files in the FTP server will be shown. Navigate to the file or folder and select the file to upload.

Title: Enter the title of the video in this text field.Collection Information: Users who have been provided permissions to upload in a specific collection or collections in illumira Learning on Demand platform can choose a collection here. The collections a user can upload in illumira are automatically detected and displayed in the drop-down list. However if the user is a new user then the videos are automatically deposited in the institutions default collection. The default collection is specified by the institutions administrator. Please contact your institutional illumira/LTI administrator to obtain information on your default LTI collection.

Closed Caption: Where available, users can add closed caption files for their uploaded media content. The captions will appear in the player and will be shown in sync with the video. (Note: Accepted input formats for closed captions are SRT and TT-XML formats)

Users can upload more than one caption tracks in multiple languages. Click on the Upload button to select the corresponding .srt or .xml file from your computer. Select the language of the caption track and provide a label name denoting the language of the captions.

If the captions are valid, the captions will be shown in the video player, once the media is available on the website.

Once ready the user would need to click on the 'Submit' button to create a record for the media and for the media to be uploaded. The media is uploaded and added to the course. The media is encoded automatically by the system, and once ready the media is available for the users to view.

Faculty/Administrators can use the import/pick media option to pick media which are available for them and add them into the course.

In addition to media listed under 'My Media', users also have the option to pick and choose files from other sources such as any created clips, any shared media etc.

The 'Select a source' option displays the collections and available media that can be added. Users can choose from:

· My Videos (default view): This option lists all the media uploaded by the user or that to which the user is assigned as a 'co-owner' using the illumira Learning on Demand interface.

· My Clips/ My Favorites: These options will list all clips created by the user and any media starred (Favorite) by the user.

· My Playlists: This option will list all playlists created by the user allow the user to embed them into the course. See the article on Embedding Playlists for more information

· Specify illumira URL: Faculty/Staff can specify the URL of any illumira media content that is is accessible by them to upload them to the course for the students to view.

Such titles may include media shared with them by another user as well as any illumira media that is publicly accessible.

· Pick a Collection: Users can click on this option to browse through institutional collections displayed as a hierarchical structure. The collections option lists all the institutional collections, containing media that are shared with the entire institution – such as commercial licensed videos, locally produced media content etc. In addition instructors can also see listed any hidden/unlisted collections as long as they have access to (i.e. shared with) at least one media object in that collection.

Using Search Functionality

Users can utilize the available search functionality to search for a media within the selected category item.

Such titles may include media shared with them by another user as well as any illumira media that is publicly accessible.

Copy paste the media link into the text-box and click 'Add'. The title will be added to the media list.

A media uploaded into a course section can be removed using the "Remove Media" option available under content owner action menu in the player. Click and confirm to remove a media from within the course and upload a new file. Instructors also have the option to get the media URL by using the Copy URL option available . This allows easy access of the media URL to link them into a different course if required.